Historic Profile: At the time of its completion in 1915, the First National Soo Line Building was the tallest building in Minneapolis. Standing 19 stories tall, it represented a powerful symbol of corporate wealth and civic pride in Minneapolis. The building was a collaboration between two of the City’s most successful companies: the First National Bank and the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (the Soo Line), for their corporate offices. Heavily influenced by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, architect Robert Gibson used techniques from the Les Ecole des Beaux-Arts to design the Soo Line Building. Representing a return to classicism in architecture, the Soo Line Building stands out as one of the few tall buildings to incorporate Second Renaissance Revival details. With the exception of a second story skyway addition, the architectural integrity of the exterior remains intact.